India, Jan. 11 -- Long before the language of celebrity culture hardened into public relations and damage control, the lives of Bollywood's leading actors unfolded with a porous intimacy, seeping into public consciousness. Their romances, especially those with fellow stars, were not merely private affairs. They became moral fables, cautionary tales, and wistful dreams, reflecting both the possibilities and constraints of their times. In revisiting the great personal romances of Bollywood's leading actors, one is not indulging in gossip, but reading a parallel history of Indian modernity, written in longing, defiance, and compromise.

Consider Dilip Kumar and Madhubala - perhaps the most tragic love story the industry has known. Here were ...